13 Oct 2021

Fragile Cargo

This week, World Mental Health Day 2021 raised awareness of mental health issues around the world. We are proud to be involved with The Kamili Organisation, which provides free mental health services at more than 30 clinics across Kenya.

In September, the Kamili Organisation won an award from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, who applauded ‘their achievements in providing community mental health care services and their commitment to battling the stigma associated with mental health.’

One of their centres was operating out of a shipping container in Lower Kabete, Nairobi. In 2020 Kamili was given six more containers, a staircase, and money for a lick of paint. We came up with a concept design based around a small central courtyard. The result is a cheerful and welcoming building that the client loves:

'The new clinic has made a dramatic difference to Kamili’s patients, to their families and to the Kamili staff.

Patients have the privacy they need for consultations. They have a spacious, covered waiting area where they interact and support one another.

Occupational therapy has benefitted tremendously, as there are now facilities for a range of activities that enhance patients’ lives.

The Kamili Team has the office space and the consulting rooms that they require in order to carry out their essential work effectively.

A key part of Kamili’s operation is the training of nurses. The new clinic provides a suitable place for such training to take place, with up to 50 nurses per year benefitting from the Kamili Scholarship Programme. Kamili can also accommodate interns and students from Kenyan Universities as well as international students from all over the world.'



Photographs by Mutahi Chiira at Eyeconic Media